The Brilliance of a Shadow
by AstraSky
Summary: Reiya is an average person with a lazy nature and likes to keep a low profile. She's so normal that no one would think that she's the sister of the Child of God. After a disastrous incident, Reiya cut all ties with Yukimura Seiichi. Yet, her passion for a certain sport refuses to leave. Will her love for tennis force her true self out of the shadows? (Set a year before canon)
1. The First Pull

She lifted her head from the desk and yawned as the bell rang. Distinctly, she could hear the teacher yelling out the homework and trying to be heard over the rowdy students.

"Hey, Takami-chan." Blinking, the girl slowly turned to meet the grinning face of another. She observed her carefully. Kurosaki Ayako. Moderately popular, and a pretty, outgoing girl with numerous friends. Unlike her.

But it can't be helped, she mused. It's fine this way.

"...mi-chan? Reiya-chan?" Reiya blinked once and tilted up her glasses up to rub slightly hazy eyes.

"Yes?"

"Mou~ were you even listening to me?"

"Sorry, Ayako-san. I zoned out a little." Ayako sighed, throwing her hands up dramatically.

"How do you manage to never get caught sleeping by the teacher? And how many times have I told you that it's just Aya?"

"Okay, Aya-san." Ayako shook her head despairingly.

"Why do I even bother? Anyway, I wanted to ask you if you wanted to go to the tennis courts with me; Maki-chan is too busy." After freezing up at the word "tennis," she then replied nonchalantly.

"The tennis courts? Why?" Reiya decided not to comment on the fact Ayako was unintentionally calling her a replacement for her best friend. The girl was the only who actually bothered to socialize with her. That's not to say that Reiya couldn't hold a civil conversation with a classmate, but it never went farther than "Pretty good," whether it was about their day or their grade.

"To see the regulars!" Ayako exclaimed, eyes shining starrily. "They're so cool!" Ah. One of the faults of her only friend. She was a fangirl. Reiya tilted her head.

"Really?" Ayako gaped at her, as if she had committed some sort of personal insult towards her.

"Okay, you are so coming with me!" The other girl slumped on her desk.

"Do I have to?"

"Yes!" Without further ado, Ayako grasped Reiya's collar and proceeded to drag her in the general direction of the courts while she hung limply. For such a thin and feminine looking girl, she sure was strong. People stared as they watched a girl pulling a seemingly corpse-like body.

.

.

.

"Aya-san? I'll walk." The said girl dropped her promptly. Reiya winced and rubbed her head.

"Good. My arms were getting tired." A sweat drop formed on Reiya's head.

_Was her personality always like this?_

After reaching the tennis courts, Ayako almost squealed as she caught sight of a familiar group of eight. She broke into a faster walk as they approached. On the other hand, Reiya stopped when she noticed him. Ayako continued to move ahead, while she stood there, frozen. The girl finally noticed that she wasn't following her, and called out behind her.

"Hurry up, Reiya-chan!" Reiya dragged her feet reluctantly. Her sharp eyes caught the slight tensing of the navy blue haired captain's shoulders when he heard her name, and she quickly dived behind the group of fangirls gathered around the courts as he turned. After a few moments, she peeked out and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw him looking in the opposite direction.

"Look!" exclaimed Aya, grabbing her attention. "It's them." Reiya raised an eyebrow as she directed her gaze to the isolated group who seemed to be dominating most of the courts. She watched as sweat dripped down their faces, and the utter look of concentration each of them had. She... missed this, yet she refused to acknowledge it.

_No_, she thought._ I will never play tennis again_.

But even as she looked on, she couldn't deny the pang of longing she felt. Reiya turned away. Ayako was too engrossed in watching the regulars, and took no notice.

She continued walking with a blank look on her face. Finally, Reiya sighed, sucked in a deep breath, and exhaled.

_Alright_, she thou_ght. No more thoughts about tennis. Let's think about music. I have a violin solo I have to learn by Friday._

After quitting tennis, Reiya had turned to other activities, more specifically, music. She threw herself into learning many instruments until she settled on her favorite three. The piano, violin, and flute.

She arrived home and gazed at the black gates. Reiya pushed them open and slipped in. She walked to her house languidly. It was quiet. And peaceful. Just the way she liked it. And tennis was the opposite of that.

_I don't like tennis_, Reiya told herself resolutely.

And she really wanted to believe that she didn't. Reiya opened the door, and when she reached her room, she immediately went inside and collapsed face first onto her bed. She was tired, mentally exhausted. Reiya turned over onto her back when a strange urge came over her, and she got up and went over to her closet. Opening it, she smoothly shifted her hanging clothes to the side, revealing a tennis bag behind.

_It wouldn't hurt, right? To hold it one more time._

Reiya tentatively reached out and unzipped the black bag, pushing her left hand inside to feel the worn grip of her racket. It had remained unchanged since three years ago. Sparks of memories rushed through her at the thought. Rather unpleasant memories from the incident three years ago. She quickly released the racket, feeling nauseous.

It's been a long day, Reiya told herself. Let's go to sleep and just forget about this. And she did just that. Well the sleeping part, not the forgetting part.

* * *

_A crouched figure on the other side._

_Unseeing eyes that darted around uselessly._

_I could see his battered body as I approached the net. I stood there with cold, expressionless eyes. I could hear the whispers of the crowd as they talked about what they had witnessed, more specifically, me._

_Suddenly, something snapped inside of me and my façade crumbled into a face of horror. What had I done? I hopped over the net and rushed over to the boy. The dark blue eyes so similar to my own seemed to glare at me accusingly._

_"I'm sorry!" I sobbed, even though I knew he could not see or hear me. "I didn't mean to- I'm so sorry!" He reached up to touch my arm, looking confused, and I felt slightly relieved to see that he was starting regain feeling._

_Then he was being pried away from my arms, and I watched as they carried him away, just sitting there, not fully registering what had happened. I looked down at my hands and flinched when I saw red, smeared from the scrapes on his body. From the balls that I had hit._

_"No," I whispered. "I-I didn't mean for this to happen... I just- I just wanted to-" Be recognized. For my existence to be acknowledged. Excuses, excuses, my conscience seemed to say._

_"No!" I screamed. "This- this isn't what I wanted!"_

* * *

Reiya woke up with a start, panting heavily and sweat rolling down her body. She sat up and looked out her window. It was dark and the moon was out. She buried her face into her hands as tears started slide down her cheeks.


	2. The Next Push

_**Last: **Reiya woke up with a start, panting heavily and sweat rolling down her body. She sat up and looked out her window. It was dark and the moon was out. She buried her face into her hands as tears started slide down her cheeks_.

"Okay, okay, stop playing," Nakamura-sensei clapped her hands together loudly. Reiya lowered her violin and bow. "That," her teacher paused. "Was horrible!" The girl jolted. Nakamura-sensei was a very blunt person and was never afraid to express her opinion. Unfortunately, this was what made her such a good teacher.

"You played it all prettily, but there was no life in your playing! At. All. You can mellow down a bit in the Loure, but this is the Prelude! It's Bach's Partita! Not some emo Shostakovich music!"

"But I like Shostakovich..."

"Exactly my point!" Nakamura-sensei yelled. Reiya flinched at her loud voice.

"Baroque is such a drag though," she mumbled.

"Listen, this is Bach, he's like the fundamentals, you need his pieces to get anywhere in your music career. Do you play any sports?"

"Huh?" Reiya frowned at the random question.

"I said. Do. You. Play. Any. Sports?!" The girl jumped a little at her teacher's short temper.

"Um... I used to?"

"Why are you asking me?! Did you or did you not play any sports?!" Reiya flinched again. Wow. Nakamura-sensei was scary.

"Yes, I did."

"And did you like this sport?"

"I...yeah, I did."

"Then by the next lesson, you better have put the same passion into this piece or I swear to God...!"

* * *

Reiya stared down at the racket in her right hand._ This is for music,_ she told herself. _Because I need to get the feeling of tennis in mind if I want to put that in my piece. Right?_

She got into a starting stance and swung the racket. It was heavier then she remembered, and she frowned. Her arms were really out of shape. I'll start with 100 swings since I haven't played in a long time, she decided.

Reiya gradually increased number of swings until she was able to reach 500 without collapsing at the end. On the third day, she tried playing the piece a second time. It didn't sound right. On the fourth day, she dug out white wristbands that weighed 5 kilograms each and put them on. And since she also happened find ones for her ankles that weighed 10 kilograms, she put those on too. On the sixth day, she deemed herself ready to touch a ball. It was...

Exhilarating.

Reiya had forgotten how much she had enjoyed the feeling of the worn grip of her racket in her hand, the tension she felt every time she hit the ball. Without meaning to, she started to smile. It was fun. But then it ended as she remembered why she had stopped playing tennis in the first place. She looked down at her hands and dropped her racket.

She never noticed the dark blue eyes observing her from his room on the second floor.

* * *

Reiya yawned as she climbed out of bed. She glanced at her clock, which showed that it was 4:30 a.m. Even though she was lazy, there was one thing that she did diligently. And that was her morning jog.

Reiya sluggishly got dressed in sweats and a gray hoodie, before going downstairs. It was quiet, and it seemed that none of her family was awake yet. She slipped outside and closed the door. Before starting her run, she bent down and stretched her legs, making sure that they were warmed up. Only then did she start jogging.

Reiya made her way through her usual course, crossing streets and running along a river. It was refreshing, and soon she was wide awake. Halfway through, she heard some footsteps behind her, but ignored it.

Too much trouble, she decided. However, when the person the footsteps belonged to caught up to her, she couldn't just ignore it any longer. Why? Because the person happened to be wearing the Rikkaidai regular uniform. And he also happened to be invading her personal space.

"Hey there."

"..." She turned her head away from the bright red headed boy and decided to temporarily become deaf.

"I haven't seen you around before. Are you new?"

"..."_ No_.

"Can you even talk?"

"..." _Maybe_.

"My name's Marui Bunta. Who are you?'

"..." _A nobody_. The boy then decided to abandon trying to get her to answer him, but continued the one sided conversation.

"Man, I'm exhausted!"_ You sound plenty energetic enough._ "See I have this captain; I'm in the tennis club by the way, and I swear he's a sadist; when Yanagi said that I needed to improve my stamina, he says it all nicely like, 'I'm sure he'll work on it. Right, Marui?' But his smile, and his eyes are so scary, its like he's telling me, 'You better do something about it or else.'"

Reiya couldn't resist. Her facial muscles twitched and she let out a snicker at the accurate description of her brother.

"Or else what?"

"So you can talk! And it's probably something like 'Or else I'll quadruple your training regime.' What's your name?"

"I'm Reiya," she said, purposely leaving out her last name.

"You look my age, and if you're from around here, you must go to Rikkai, right?"

"Yeah. Third year," she added before he could ask.

"You're in my year too! No way, why haven't I seen you before? I would definitely remember a cute girl like you." The girl shrugged. Marui was surprised to see that she hadn't shown even a hint of a blush at his comment. Most if his fangirls would be falling at his feet by now.

"Yoshi¹, I've decided. I like you!" said Marui, grinning. That caught her off guard.

"Haa²?"

"Let's become friends!" He then realized that they were approaching his house. "See you around then!"

.

.

.

"Weird guy," Reiya concluded.

* * *

**¹Yoshi- alright, okay**

**²Haa- slang for "hai" which means "what" when used in a question, can also mean "yes**"


	3. The Third Try

**Thank you iciclefangAJ for reviewing and those of you who followed and favorited. You made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside:-) Enjoy!**

* * *

_**Last: **"Yoshi, I've decided. I like you!" said Marui, grinning. That caught her off guard._

_"Haa?"_

_"Let's become friends!" He then realized that they were approaching his house. "See you around then!"_

_"Weird guy," Reiya concluded._

When Reiya got home, she went upstairs to get dressed in her school uniform. She buttoned up the white collared shirt and pulled up the black skirt and white stockings, leaving the (in her opinion) constricting strpied tie for last.

She then went over to her dresser and pulled her dark hair from her tousled ponytail to two loosely tied bunches. She used silver hair pins to clip her bangs back and perched wire framed glasses on her nose. Even though her real last name was unknown, Yukimura Seiichi was still her twin brother and they looked relatively alike. The change in appearance helped her keep a low profile, especially since he was so feminine.

_Sometimes I feel like he's girlier than I am_, Reiya mourned._ He even likes flowers way more than I do._

She walked downstairs to eat breakfast. When she reached the kitchen, she noticed a note from her parents saying that her father had a business trip in who knows where, and her mother had accompanied him. This was nothing new, so she ate her meal alone as usual.

Maybe once in a blue moon, her parents were there since her father traveled a lot for his work. And as for her brother...

Well, tennis club practice started at 7:00, which was when Reiya always timed her run to come back at. Since her brother always left at 6:30, she would conveniently miss him.

Yeah. Conveniently. It wasn't like she was avoiding him or anything. She just happened to come back at that time... Okay, so maybe she was avoiding him. But who wouldn't after an incident like the one three years ago?

After finishing up her eggs and sausages, she washed her dishes and proceeded to the entrance of the house. She grabbed her school bag and black blazer from the coat rack and stepped outside.

The frigid morning air cooled her face as she left the warmth of her house. She shivered.

_Whose bright idea was it to make the girls' uniform skirts so short?_ she wondered.

She spent lunch lying under a nice, large tree she found. Its hanging branches provided a cool shade, and she placed a random book over her eyes to block out sunlight. But her peaceful calm was interrupted when she heard some footsteps on the grass crunching over. They stopped near her. Curious, Reiya tilted the book up.

In front of her was a nervous looking girl who seemed to be waiting for someone and didn't notice her on the other side of the tree. She soon found out just who the girl was waiting for when a redhaired boy came walking over in a relaxed pace, the complete opposite of the fidgeting girl.

"Hey, Yuki," he said, raising a hand. "What did you want to talk to me about?" The girl steeled herself before blurting out her next words.

"I-I really like you Marui-sama!"

_Sama? _Reiya wondered incredulously.

"Ehehe," the boy laughed sheepishly. "Sorry, but I'm not really interested in relationships right now, you know, with the Kanto Tournament coming up and all."

"I see," the girl looked down sadly. "Well then, excuse me!" She dashed off, tears escaping the corners of her eyes.

Reiya sighed. _Too much drama._ She placed her book back on her face.

"Aww~ that was mean," a new, sly drawl intruded.

"Like you're any better, Niou," Marui retorted. "At least I say it nicely."

"Puri~" was his only reply. Then, Reiya heard footsteps that became louder as they neared her location.

"Watcha doing?" Marui asked, poking her. _Trying to sleep in peace_, she thought hopefully.

"You know that this tree's a popular confession spot right?"_ Did I just say that out loud?_

"Yeah." _Wait a minute this is kinda familiar. The name 'Marui' is kinda familiar too..._

Reiya lifted a hand toward her head and slid the book down, sitting up. And came face to face with a pair of light-purplish eyes. She blinked slowly.

"You—!" They started at the same time.

"Who are you again?" asked Reiya smiling sheepishly. Marui jolted.

"Seriously? It's me!" he exclaimed, pointing at himself. "You know, the person you ran with just this morning? You are Reiya, right? Man, I almost didn't recognize you with your glasses and hairpins. You looked so much cuter this morning without them."

"Right, the weird guy." The boy's silver haired friend snickered, and Marui glared at him.

"Oh?" said Niou. "Let's see if what Marui said is true." Reiya frowned.

"What?" Immediately following her question, her glasses were yanked off her face, and her clips and ties were pulled out of her hair in one smooth motion. Reiya shot up with a start. "What was that for?!"

"Hmm..." Niou examined her closely. Tousled ebony locks parted to the side tumbled to her waist, side bangs framed her face and covered part of her forehead, and startled, dark purple eyes stared at him defiantly. "You're right, she's hot. Why do you wear those glasses and hide your pretty face? Piyo~"

"Give those back!" For once, the girl decided to be active and made a grab for her things. However, the tall boy moved them out of reach. He continued to stare at her.

"Doesn't she remind you of someone, Marui?" The redhead went to stand by his side.

"Now that I think of it, she kinda does. I wonder who?" Niou's observant eyes briefly caught a panicked look on Reiya's face, who made another grab. This time, he let her take them back. She sat down with a huff and fixed her accessories back on. Then, she reached into her bag and dug out a melon-pan¹ she had bought earlier in the cafeteria, and was about to take a bite when she noticed Marui staring at it starrily, a bit of drool in the corner of his mouth.

"No. Get your own."

"But they're fresh out!'

"No. I'm not giving this to a guy who only talked to me because he thought I was cute."

"I never said that! Well maybe at first, but not anymore! Please?"

"No, it's my favorite.'

"Don't be stingy!"

"So now you're only talking to me for food."

"That's not it!"

"No."

"Come on!"

"Puri~"

* * *

Reiya took a deep breath and settled the violin on her shoulder and her bow on the strings. This would be her third attempt at playing the piece. She started playing the piece, putting in the same energy she used to put into tennis. When she finished, she looked up at her teacher.

Nakamura-sensei was stone faced for a moment as she walked over to her. Then, she patted (more like slapped) her back.

"If you can play like that, that's how it should have been in the first place!"

* * *

**¹Melon-pan (melon bread)- a bread with a melon-like crisscrossing pattern on it**

**A/N: How is my story so far? Let me know what you think! Also, can someone tell me what months the prelims, regionals, nationals, etc. took place?**


	4. Another Idiot

**Thank you Dazzling59 the timeline really helped me a lot. And also, the people who reviewed made me happy:-) Remember, constructive critisism is welcome as long as it's constructive. Here's the next chapter.**

_**Last: **Nakamura-sensei was stone faced for a moment as she walked over to her. Then, she patted (more like slapped) her back._

_"If you can play like that, that's how it should have been in the first place!"_

On her way to school, Reiya contemplated what Nakamura-sensei had told her. She walked past the tennis courts and started towards the buildings.

* * *

_"I'm having a recital for my students on the 5th of June," her teacher told her. Reiya checked the calendar. It was April 16. "I'm actually wondering if you want to do a concerto for two violins with another student of mine." The girl raised an eyebrow._

_"I know you've never done this type of thing before, but if you put the same amount of energy into this Bach piece that you put into the Partita, you'll be fine." Reiya invonluntary twitched. Another Baroque piece? Nakamura-sensei caught her change in expression and sighed._

_"Listen Reiya," she began. "In this world..." She paused, and Reiya listened attentively for her next, wise words that were sure to come. Though knowing her teacher, she might say something like..._

_._

_._

_._

_"There are just some things you need to suck up," she finished. Reiya sweat dropped. "Well, think about it," she advised her. "I think you'll get along with your potential partner though, he also plays tennis." Reiya held in a grimace._

_"Okay."_

* * *

"You're a little late today, Yanagi," commented Yukimura. "Did something happen?" The normally composed data master had a distraught look on his face. He seemed to be quite disgruntled.

"My older sister," he grunted.

"Ah!" Kirihara exclaimed. "Yanagi-senpai's being like Fukubuchou!" The said Sanada Genichirou imitator sent him a dark look, and pulled a bubbling, sickeningly green drink out of nowhere.

"Akaya," he ground out. "I have this delicious drink from my friend's recipe. Would you like to try it?" The boy started sweating profusely.

"U-um, no thanks!" He backed away nervously. Yukimura chuckled.

"It's rare for you to be this temperamental, Yanagi. What happened with your sister?"

"She asked me how she looked, and I replied that she looked normal as usual. Then she locked herself in the bathroom for an hour," said Yanagi. "I did not predict this." The data master looked very confused. "I do not understand the opposite gender. They seem to go beyond my data more often than not." Most of the males in the area nodded as one, while the captain chuckled softly.

"Perhaps you misunderstood her," he suggested. Yanagi frowned and thought about it.

"I believe she may have said something about a Mihara-kun? I see," he murmured as calculations ran through his mind. "60% chance she was partnered with him for a school project, 30% chance she was asked to study with him, 10% chance her friends told her to..."

The ever smiling captain— well, smiled.

"Sasuga, Yukimura-buchou!" Kirihara said with adoring eyes. "He understands the minds of girls! Do you have a sister or something?"

The smile was dropped and his countenance darkened. The temperature seemed to drop a few degrees.

"E-eh?" Kirihara freaked out.

"Ba-ka," said Niou.

"What'd you do this time?" Marui added.

"Tarundoru!" said Sanada.

"Fukubuchou?!"

"Kirihara, it's not polite to delve into people's personal lives," Yagyuu interjected.

"You too, Yagyuu-senpai?!"

Jackal sighed resignedly. "Really, Kirihara?"

"Even you Jackal-senpai?!"

"Is it your life goal to piss off all three of the Demons of Rikkaidai?" Niou asked. "You managed it with Yanagi and Buchou, and you do it to Sanada-fukubuchou on a daily basis."

"I think he just has a death wish," said Marui. Kirihara paled with every word.

"I do have a sister," Yukimura finally replied. At these words, Yanagi-senpai whipped out a green notebook and started writing.

"Yukimura becomes negative when his sister is mentioned," he muttered as he wrote. "Ii data. Information around sister is obscure." He snapped his book shut. "Not even his school records show her name or grade, but I believe she goes to Rikkaidai."

Evidently, Kirihara had not yet learned to shut up, so he decided to ask, "Heh~ What's she like Buchou?" Yukimura's smile had returned, though it looked a little dark.

"She—" He spotted a familiar head of dark brown hair and raised his voice slightly so that it carried. "Is an idiot," he finished. He watched the person freeze, and knew that his assumption had been correct. "Even though I forgave her a long time ago," he whispered under his breath.

"What did you say at the end, Yukimura?" Yanagi asked.

"Oh, nothing." He watched the girl walk away from the courts. Yanagi raised an eyebrow.

"I suppose that's another idiot you know. You already know Kirihara—"

"Hey!"

"Marui—"

"Wait a min—"

"And Niou."

"Puri~"

Yukimura smiled softly.

* * *

Reiya had heard the whole thing, though she didn't catch the last part. Her ears were very sharp since she had trained them when she had broken her glasses— which had led to her getting contacts for tennis matches. That was a long story. She quickly walked away from the courts, her head down low. Maybe it was a weird time to think about this, but she started reflecting on her life.

_Let's see, what do I do everyday..._

_In the morning I wake up, go for my jog, eat breakfast, make bentos, and go to school. When I get home I practice violin for two hours, do my homework, piano for an hour, eat dinner, flute for thirty minutes, my swings; wait, but I moved that to the morning so that my brother doesn't see me..._

She slapped a hand over her face. _Wow, I really am a coward. I'm such an idiot. And I have no life. Come to think of it, all I do during the weekend is homework and music. Okay, this is just sad. I need another hobby. _

_Like tennis?_ Her conscience sugessted slyly.

_Like tennis,_ she agreed unconsciously_. Wait, what?_

She was interrupted from her thoughts when someone bumped into her, and she fell backwards. Reiya looked up, and her eyes widened in surprise she saw Kurosaki Ayako with tears flowing down her face. The girl muttered a choked out apology and ran away.

Reiya just sat there for a moment, taking some time to sort out her thoughts. Then she sighed. _More drama, no doubt,_ she thought._ But I wouldn't be a very good person if I didn't go after her, huh?_

**So, I thought that it was time to give Reiya a '"real" friend. What do you think?**


	5. A Female Manager?

Reiya walked around the school campus slowly, her dark violet eyes darting around and searching for Ayako. As she neared the stairs that led to the rooftop, she heard faint crying. Her feet seemed to move on her own as she ascended the stairway and to the open door. What she saw took her breath away.

It was beautiful.

There was no other word for it. So many different plants were blooming on all sides, and the splashes of color seemed to sparkle when the sunlight hit them. But the sound of sobbing reminded her why she was there. She looked around and found a small figure huddled in a corner, wedged between two flower pots that contained some kind of blue flowers. Reiya decided to speak up as the girl seemed to have not noticed her presence.

"Ano... Aya-san?" She asked tentatively, while internally, she was panicking.

_Argh, I'm so bad at at stuff like this! I really suck at trying to make people feel better._

Ayako paused in her sobbing, but choked out breaths racked her body as she tried to speak steadily.

"R-Reiya...chan?"

"Erm, yeah, it's me."

Cue awkward silence. The crying girl didn't seem to be in any mood to start a conversation, and Reiya just didn't know what to say. She sat down in front of the girl.

"What...happened?" Ayako lifted her head, showing a devastated expression, while Reiya berated herself repeatedly for having no delicacy.

"Sorry," she apoplogized. "I shouldn't have asked." Ayako shook her head.

"N-no, it's okay." There was another long pause while Reiya sat there uncomfortably. "M-Maki...ch- Maki and the others," Ayako started with a trembling voice. "Th-they-!" She erupted into sobs again. Reiya sighed, concluding that Ayako's friends had done something stupid.

"They...said that they...w-were just using me...to gain popularity..." Aya shook her head and laughed weakly. "I'm so stupid, aren't I?" Reiya stiffened as memories from the past of a curly, black haired girl with hazel eyes appeared in her mind. She shook her head to clear the images of the at first friendly smile twisting into a devious smirk. Her fist clenched.

"My friends..." Ayako said quietly, seeming to have regained a slightly steadier voice.

"They're not your friends," she interrupted harshly.

"What?"

"People like that," said Reiya in a softer tone. "Don't deserve you as a friend." Ayako's eyes widened and the corners of her mouth uplifted slightly.

"Thanks, Reiya-chan." The girl slouched, all signs of her previously strong outburst gone.

"What are friends for?" Ayako's eyes widened.

"F-friends?" Reiya immediately stood and tried to back away from the conversation, smiling sheepishly.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have assumed-" The other girl shook her head almost violently.

"No, it's not that!" she exclaimed. "I-it's just...you want to be friends with me? A weak girl like me?" Reiya knelt down and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"We're all cowards, Aya, somewhere inside of us." The wind blew, lifting her ebony locks, and her dark eyes seemed to shine through her glasses.

_Sh-she's so cool!_ Ayako inwardly squealed, her inner fangirl coming out. Reiya was startled when stars appeared in the girl's eyes. _Eh?_

"Reiya-chan," Ayako said suddenly.

"Yes?"

"You called me Aya." Reiya blushed a little.

"S-so what?"

"Aw, you're so cute!" Ayako giggled, making a grab for the socially awkward girl.

"Get away from me!"

"Meanie~ But," Ayako was suddenly very serious. "You're not a coward, Reiya-chan." Reiya smiled sadly, though a little surprised by her firmness.

"I'm...the biggest coward of all, Aya."

"Yukimura," Yanagi called out.

"Hm?" The blue haired captain turned, as well as most of the regulars within hearing distance. "What is it, Yanagi?"

"My data shows-" he held up a green notebook. "That 83.7% of the schools improved by 38% when a female manager joined the tennis club."

.

.

.

"Ehhhhh-!"

"Yanagi-senpai, are you serious?!" Kirihara exclaimed, invading his upperclassman's personal space.

"It should be a cute girl, puri~" was Niou's input.

"I hope she can make delicious sweets," was Marui's concern.

"Tarundoru! We have not yet decided whether we will even get a manager. Yanagi," Sanada turned to the close eyed boy. "Females are a distraction. Why would we need one in Rikkaidai's tennis club?"

"That's why it is essential that the manager is not a fangirl," Yanagi explained. "And have a reasonable knowledge of sports. Rikkaidai's tennis club is missing one of the five most important components, which are as follows: captain, vice captain, treasurer, coach, and the manager. Yukimura doubles as a coach."

"Hmm, I see," Yukimura said, an idea crossing her mind. Then he smiled eerily and faced the regulars. "Everyone, on Monday, you will be free to bring a candidate for the manager. However." Though his smile was still in place in place, the captain seemed to grow menacingly. "However," he looked down, his hair shadowing his face. "I do hope that you choose wisely."

Eep! Some people who were thinking of bringing a biased fangirl thought. (Cough, the "Idiot Trio," cough)

"Practice is over for today!" Yukimura called out. The club members immediately dispersed to go change and/or clean up.

"Why did you do that, Yukimura?" Sanada asked curiously.

"Because it's interesting," was the captain's only reply.

Sanada felt a shiver go down his spine and wisely choose not to say anything. He silently pitied whoever was involved in Yukimura Seiichi's scheme.

"So, I'll see you at school on Monday then?" asked Reiya. Aya nodded.

"Yup, sorry we can't meet up tomorrow, on Sundays my family usually goes places together." Reiya smiled. Family outings, huh? Must be nice.

"No, it's fine. Bye."

"Bye!" The other girl waved cheerily as they parted ways. Reiya turned in the other direction and started walking home. It was silent, and she almost jumped when her ringtone sounded. She glanced at the screen of her phone, which read 中村先生.

_Nakamura-sensei? _she wondered, accepting the call and holding the phone up to her ear.

"Hello?"

_"Reiya, have you decided yet?"_

"What?"

_"The concerto for two violins, you numbskull."_ Reiya ignored the insult, since she was very used to it.

"The duet thing. Right. Uh...well sure, why not?"

_"Good, I'll send you the address of your partner, since I usually go to his house for his lessons. See you there tomorrow."_ The call ended. A few seconds later, her phone beeped, and Reiya opened the new message. She frowned slightly when she saw the location.

"Tokyo, huh. I guess I'll take the train there."


	6. An Old Friend

Reiya examined the plate that read 忍足. "Somehow I feel like I've seen that name before..." She thought about it for a while. "Eh, must be my imagination." She rung the doorbell.

The door opened to reveal her teacher, who looked rather gleeful. It almost scared Reiya.

"Uh, hello? Nakamura-sensei?"

"Oh Reiya, it's you! Good, good." The violin teacher was smiling sinisterly. "Come in!" Reiya hesitantly stepped inside and Nakamura-sensei closed the door, then faced her. She looked positively evil.

Then, one of the doors opened and a teenage boy who looked like he was making an effort to walk calmly spoke to the teacher through gritted teeth.

"Sensei, I really don't understand what you meant by-" He stopped short, seeing Reiya at the entrance of the house. They stared at each other for a moment, almost looking like they were having a telepathic conversation. But their thoughts differed rather greatly. Reiya was thinking_, Kansai-ben?_ While the boy was thinking how she looked like someone he knew.

"Have we met before?" he decided to ask.

"Hmm..." Reiya stared at him a little more. "Well, you-" Both the curious teacher and student leaned closer. "Seem really familiar...?" The two face faulted.

"How helpful," Nakamura-sensei drawled. "Anyway, Yuushi, that's Takami Reiya; Reiya, that's Oshitari Yuushi. You two are partners."

A moment of silence, and the clock could be heard ticking steadily...

"Yuushi?" Reiya asked incredulously.

"Reiya?" he asked simultaneously. They looked at each other again.

"Seriously?"

Suddenly, Reiya laughed.

"Pfft, what's with those glasses, Yuushi? I didn't recognize you because of them!" Yuushi felt that he should be offended. He rather liked his glasses.

"Like you can talk," he retorted. "Since when did you wear glasses?"

"Since my eyes went bad," Reiya answered. "But you, on the other hand, last time I remember you had perfect vision. Are those glasses even real?"

"..." His silence confirmed her suspicions.

"They aren't are they," she stated.

"...To me, my glasses are a part of my body, so they are completely genuine. There is nothing fake about them."

"..." Reiya was giving him a weird look.

"Shut up."

"I didn't even say anything," she protested. "And you seem way crankier than I remember you to be. What happened to your cool, collected attitude?"

"Clearly you have never been with Nakamura-sensei before competitions on her Music Training Spree from Hell."

Reiya laughed, not noticing that he looked dead serious, before his words registered in her head.

"Wait a minute, competition?!" She rounded on her teacher accusingly. "You told me it was just a recital!"

"Oh did I?" Nakamura-sensei feigned ignorance. "Well, it's too late to back out now, I already sent in your forms."

Reiya gaped at her. "No way..." Her teacher just smiled, and Reiya noticed her childhood friend slowly backing away.

"Oi, Yuushi... You're not going leave me here are you?" He just shook his head.

"Look at Nakamura-sensei!" Reiya glanced at her creepy smile. "We are so going to die."

"Especially you, Reiya," he added. "If you're still the lazy girl I remember."

Reiya gulped.

* * *

5 hours later...

"Okay, review these things for the next lesson!"

Reiya and Yuushi lay on the floor, looking completely dead and their spirits floating over their heads. Nakamura-sensei stared at them disapprovingly.

"You can't be that tired," she said. "My teacher would have me practicing 24/7 on weekends."

_We really are that tired, you old hag!_ the two thought in their minds, though they were smart enough not to voice it.

Their teacher turned to exit the room.

"Well, I'll see you at the next lesson."

"Right," replied Reiya tiredly. "Next Sunday, right?"

"Of course not!" Nakamura-sensei exclaimed. "Do you really think you can get this piece up to perfection with once a week lessons?! It'll be this Wednesday, of course. 4:00, don't be late!"

There were a few moments of silence after they heard the door slam shut.

"So Reiya," Yuushi started. "I didn't know that you lived in Tokyo. When did you move from Osaka?"

"Last year," she mumbled.

"Really?" he raised an eyebrow. "You know, they sounded very panicked when they called me. Said you'd disappeared or something. Like you left without a single word?"

"Ah..." Reiya started to feel a little guilty. "My parents told me to come back to Kanagawa. Not sure why they cared though," she muttered the last part. "Anyway, how are the others doing? Don't tell me they decided to move too."

"Fine," he replied. "They also miss you. You should go visit them; they're still in Osaka. I hear they're also regulars on their tennis team." He observed that the girl seemed to suddenly shrink at his words. He sighed.

"Still haven't gone back to tennis?" Reiya shook her head. "Have you held a tennis racket since then?" She hesitated, then nodded. He raised an eyebrow.

"Really? At least that's some progress." She winced.

_Yeah... Well, my right hand at least. I don't think I can handle my left hand yet_, she thought privately.

He stood up suddenly.

"Play a match with me." Reiya frowned.

"What?"

"You promised me a match, remember? Back then."

* * *

_"So you play tennis?" The dark haired boy asked Reiya. She shrugged._

_"I used to."_

_"Why not anymore?"_

_"Well," she laughed sheepishly. "You know me. Lazy and all." He frowned, getting the feeling that she wasn't telling him the real reason._

_"You should play a game with me," he suggested._

_"Someday, maybe."_

* * *

She blinked.

"You still remember that?" Yuushi pushed up his glasses.

"Of course I do." She grinned, feeling slightly excited. The anticipation of a match seemed to well up inside of her. Then she glanced at the time. Four-fifteen?! She scrambled to her feet in panic.

"Wait a minute, I can't," said Reiya as she started hurriedly gathering her things.

"Why not?"

"I have to make dinner today! Sorry, maybe next time!" She dashed to the door and shoved her feet into her shoes. "Thank you for having me!"

Yuushi was left staring at the door, blinking. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cellphone before dialing a number.

_"Hello?"_

"It's me."

_"Yuushi? It's been a while. So what is it?"_

"I saw Reiya today."

_"Reiya... You mean Reiya as in... that Rei-chan?!"_

"Yes."

_"What?! How's she doing?"_

"Still the same girl we know and love. Oh, and still cute too~ Right?"

_"Why the hell are you asking me?!"_

"Well... I thought you liked her?"

_"Shut up!"_

* * *

Reiya just barely remembered her manners before rushing out of the house. _If I hurry, I might make it for the four-thirty train._

She stole a glance at her black wristbands pensively, then shook her head furiously. _No, I can't. It wouldn't be training, otherwise._ Then, a thought struck her. _Training? What am I training for?_ She looked down at her watch.

"Argh! Now isn't the time to be thinking that!"

Reiya plopped down onto the seat in relief. _Phew, I barely made it._ She glanced down. _But my body is killing me!_ She cried internally.

The girl somehow made it home and uttered a quiet, "Tadaima." Pulling off her shoes, she went to the kitchen to prepare dinner. She looked at the note on the refrigerator from her parents and sighed. No surprise, really. They're always gone. She shook the thought away.

"Alright, what should I make?" she mused.

Dinner, as always, awkward and silent except for the sound of the silverware and the plates. Even the two siblings lived in the same house, it was like they were in different worlds. Reiya's brother usually pretended that she didn't exist, and vise versa. She really couldn't blame him.

Meanwhile, said person was currently pondering the manager problem. _Someone who's not a fangirl..._ he mused.

The sleeve of Reiya's shirt slid down her arm as she ate, and at that moment, he caught a glimpse of the black bands on her wrists. He froze as as recognition washed over him. _Those... are the ones that I gave her. How long has it been since I saw them?_

* * *

_The eight year old girl beamed at his present._

_"Thank you so much, Sei-chan! I'll never take them off." He smiled back brightly._

_"You're welcome." After a certain event took place a few years later, he never saw them again._

* * *

_He gazed out the window, watching as the familiar colored hair swayed with every swing of her racket._

_Is that—? He thought in shock. He continued to look out the window for a long time, completely forgetting about the homework that he was supposed to finish._

* * *

He made a split second decision.

"Reiya." The girl froze and looked up from her plate, an expression of disbelief in her eyes. I_s he really... actually speaking to me?_

"Uh, yes?" she answered hesitantly.

"Come to tennis courts on Monday." Reiya frowned.

"What? Why?"

"We need a manager." She immediately shook her head.

"No, I can't. I gave up tennis a long time ago."

"Is that so? And the swings you do everyday? The weights that you're wearing? Those aren't for tennis?" Her eyes widened.

"How did you—?" He stood up.

"If you change your mind, remember, 3:00 on Monday." He walked away with his plate and silverware in hand. Reiya looked down at the black bands on her wrists.

_Can I— can I really go back to tennis?_


	7. Being Dragged In

_"If you change your mind, remember, 3:00 on Monday."_

The words echoed in Reiya's mind as she walked to school. So lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice something enveloped in displaced dust barreling towards her at an astonishing speed.

"Watch out!" She heard someone call. Her reflexes honed from years of tennis saved her. Reiya sidestepped and blinked as a rush of wind blew her hair back, effectively messing it up and allowing strands to escape their confinements. The person skidded to a stop and turned.

"Oh, Reiya, sorry," Marui Bunta grinned sheepishly. Reiya stared him down with an unimpressed look. A heavy weight of an arm landed on her head, mussing her hair further. She looked up, disgruntled.

"Don't be like that," came Niou's drawl. "Puri~" Reiya batted away the hands slowing creeping towards her hair ties and stepped away. Noticing the looks from the people around them (especially the glares of many girls), she leveled them with a frown. She was standing out. She hated standing out.

"You're making such a sour face," said Marui, reaching out and ruffling her hair, marveling at the fact that she wasn't blushing or fainting, or even screaming. He'd seen it happen before. His hand stilled, and as Reiya watched, his face showed that he seemed to have had an epiphany.

"I got it! Wait...Reiya, can you cook?" She made a displeased expression.

"Please stop messing with my hair. And being overly friendly. Yes, I can cook. Why?" Ignoring her, Marui turned to his friend.

"What do you think? She's not a fangirl. And she can cook."

"Hmm..." Niou leaned forward into Reiya's face, who gazed back apathetically. "Well, she barely passes my standards of being cute," her eye twitched, "but she'll do."

Marui grinned. "Alright!"

"What are you talking about?" asked Reiya. "Actually, never mind, I don't want to know."

"It's okay, just stay put after school. What class are you in?"

"2-A, but-"

"Great, I'll see you after school!" With that, he walked away with Niou. Reiya stood still.

"...What?"

The bell rang for lunch, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief, glad for the break. Reiya escaped the classroom quickly with Ayako, who accompanied her cheerfully, seeming to have completely recovered from her falling out with her friends.

"Uh I'm dead," Ayako groaned. "I hate chemistry. How about you, Reiya-chan?"

The girl shrugged. "It's not that bad."

"What did you get on the last test?" asked Ayako curiously.

"Sixty-seven."

"Seriously?! You're so smart!"

"I don't think it's that good. Somewhere in the middle I guess. How did you do?" Ayako froze.

"Um, well, that's..." Reiya raised an eyebrow. She hung her head. "An e- eighteen..." she said, forcing a laugh. There was an awkward silence. "How do you study, Reiya-chan?"

"I...don't really study."

"...Seriously?"

"..."

"Let's go eat lunch."

"Yeah."

The peaceful wind never failed to calm Reiya down. After finishing her lunch, she lay down while Ayako chattered and closed her eyes, unknowing of the malicious gaze fixated on her.

"Takami...Reiya," a person hissed. Reiya sat up with a start. In front of her stood a tall girl. She had well toned muscles, tanned skin, and short black hair. She also looked angry. Reiya stared back warily. Then-

"Takami Reiya, I challenge you!" she proclaimed loudly. Reiya frowned.

"Wha-"  
"-in a game of tennis!" The girl finished.

"...Excuse me?"

"This might be bad," Ayako whispered. "That's Maki-chan, I mean Kurosawa-san, the captain of the girl's tennis club- and my former friend. She's a huuuge fan of the boys' tennis regulars."

"Oh, Ayako," Maki sneered. "So she's your new friend." She turned back to glare at Reiya. "Being so close to Marui-sama and Niou-sama is unforgivable."

"Uh..." Reiya raised an eyebrow. "What?" _Is it just me or is this girl a little crazy? Just a little bit?_

"That's not fair," Ayako argued. "Reiya-chan doesn't even play tennis!" Oh, the irony.

"I'll be generous and give you a week," said Maki with a vicious look. "Next Monday after school. With the tennis regulars around you, it should be no problem, after all." With one last glare, the girl whirled around.

"Wait a moment, I-" Maki had already left. Reiya groaned while Aya looked sympathetic.

"This is giving me a headache."

As soon as the last bell sounded, Reiya stuffed her books into her bag quickly as her classmates erupted into conversation. Muttering a hurried apology to Aya, she attempted to walk out of the classroom in a brisk manner.

Attempted.

She did not succeed, the reason for this being the wall that stood in front of her. Marui Bunta smiled down at her cheerily, while Niou Masaharu smirked behind him.

"Hey Reiya!" His loud voice attracted the looks of many, including Aya, whose jaw dropped. "Let's go!"

_I was too late_, Reiya thought inwardly.

"Ah...I think not," she said, trying to duck around Marui, and this time it would have proved to be successful- if not for the second wall behind him.

"Gotcha," Niou said, while Reiya looked at the hand grasping her arm almost despairingly.

Reiya looked at her only friend, Aya for help but realized that she would be useless in her state when she saw her flushed red cheeks and dreamy eyes. The two tennis players didn't give her a chance to speak before she was dragged away.

_I feel like I'm being dragged around a lot lately_, thought Reiya, struggled against the unyielding hand on her arm.

"Can you stop moving around so much?" said Niou. Reiya glared at him but complied. Or so he thought. As soon as his grip relaxed slightly, she shook it off and ran for it.

Sadly, though Reiya had been training a little bit, it had only been for around two weeks. The two were physically fit boys who played a sport and had practice everyday. She never stood a chance. Reiya was quickly captured again, and this time she didn't fight it.

_Ahh, whatever._ She closed her eyes. _It's too much trouble anyways_. Her body slumped as she allowed them to steer her over in the direction of— where were they going anyway? Reiya opened her mouth to ask; however, they had another disruption.

"Marui, Niou," a stern voice sounded. "What are you two doing?"

Reiya cracked an eye open to see the vice captain of the tennis team with crossed arms and a furrowed brow, along with some other team members. She was relieved to see that one Yukimura Seiichi was absent, though there was another problem...

"Oh, Sanada-fukubuchou," said Marui, hastily dropping Reiya's arm. Niou copied his actions. "We were just- well you know, the manager...um, so yeah."

"But she doesn't really look like she wants to," Jackal pointed out.

"It's disgraceful to drag others around without their consent, Niou," said Yagyuu, pushing his glasses up, to which Niou responded with a shrug.

While this occurred, a staring match was happening between and Sanada and Reiya. The girl shrank under his sharp gaze.

"You," Sanada finally spoke, "want to be our manager?" She winced at his not-so-nice tone .Sanaa had, in fact, been the childhood friend of her brother since before elementary school. Which meant he knew her too. And what had happened.

"Um...manager?" Reiya didn't really remember signing up for anything like that. She whipped her head around to the two who had brought her there, but they seemed to be busy being berated by their teammates. Sanada frowned further, then turned away.

"Let's go," he said abruptly to his teammates. "Marui, Niou, bring her in a more presentable manner."

As they left, what he said registered in Reiya's mind.

"Bring me where exactly?" she asked slowly.

"To the tennis courts, of course," said Marui. Reiya jolted into a standing position.

"I'm not going," she proclaimed.

"Too late, we're already here," Niou said with a smirk. "Puri~"

Reiya turned to look in disbelief. There, in all their glory, was the tennis courts. She did not notice until much later that it was as if the sport itself was trying to drag her back in.

"Reiya," Marui started.

"Y-yeah?" she responded, still in a state in shock at how she had managed to miss the glaringly obvious group of girls gathered around the tennis courts.

"I've noticed this before but... You don't really pay attention to your surroundings do you?" he remarked bluntly. Reiya twitched, and turned to him slowly with her best imitation of her brother's most scariest smile.

"Did you say something?" she asked sweetly. Marui gulped. He couldn't recall where, but he had the feeling that he had seen that smile aimed at him many times before.

"N-no Yuki—I mean, ma'am."


	8. Coerced

The sound of tennis balls invaded Reiya's hearing as they neared the tennis courts. The iron grips on her arms prevented her from escaping. She felt an emotion that she couldn't name. Confusion, excitement, nervousness? Maybe a mix of all of those.

Reiya saw the back of a familiar head of hair that looked extremely similar to her's, and she started sweating as they neared him. What would he think when he saw her? What did she think of tennis at that moment? What if-?

"Yukimura!" Niou called out before she had the chance to ponder her thoughts any longer. She watched he turned ever so slowly in her vision. Reiya couldn't read his expression. It didn't show any surprise, expectancy, or disdain. It was just— normal. She quickly averted her gaze and looked down, her glasses shadowing her face.

"Niou, Marui," he greeted with a smile. "What is it?"

The two pointed at Reiya. "We brought a manager." Yukimura finally spared a glance at the girl, who was still looking down. She peeked from the corner of her eye to see him looking at her with some curiosity, and it suddenly occurred to her that he had never seen her before in her current appearance. They were in different classes after all, and Reiya had made sure to avoid him as much as possible. Maybe if she left now he wouldn't—

"This is Reiya," Marui proclaimed.

Or not.

"Reiya— um..." He turned to her quickly and whispered. "What's your name?" The not-so-subtly eavesdropping people around them looked on incredulously. She could almost hear what they were thinking. You dragged her here without even knowing her name?

"It's... Takami," she hesitated, looked down again, not wanting to see 'Yukimura's expression. "Takami Reiya."

The air instantly fell about 20 degrees lower. The members of the surrounding area shivered, while Reiya continued to stare at the ground.

"Is that so?" Each word from her brother's mouth sounded punctuated. "Takami...was it?"

"Uh...yes?" Reiya stammered.

"So you want to be the manger of the tennis club?" he said with a threatening smile. Reiya froze in place. That smile. The one that meant certain death of you didn't do what he wanted.

"N-no!" she quickly replied. The atmosphere became even darker, and her brother seemed to grow taller in front of her.

"No?" he asked again.

"Uh, yes! I-I mean no!" Eyes identical to her's narrowed dangerously. "...I meant yes?" The captain smiled brightly, the air returning to its normal temperature and the suffocating presence disappearing. The tennis club breathed a sigh of relief.

"Welcome to the tennis club..." There was a pause as she watched him ponder what to call her. "...Reiya," he decided. The tennis regulars continued to watch with wide eyes. There were a few reasons for this.

One: they had never seen their gentle, polite captain be like this towards anyone, much less a girl.

Second: he had just called a girl informally by her first name.

Third: he had acted completely out of character.

Yanagi scribbled furiously in his notebook. "Ii data," he murmured. He placed his fingers contemplatively on his chin. "Hm... Similar response to last time..."

Reiya tried to protest as she was steered towards the gathered group of boys.

"I'm not qualified for this," she argued. "For all you two know," Reiya directed this at Marui and Niou, "I don't play tennis."

"You don't?" asked Marui.

"Well I do, but that's not the point—"

"Then what's the problem?" interrupted Niou.

"Yes, what is the problem?" came a sweet voice from the front. The girl gulped. Before she had a chance to say anything, her brother started talking.

"Everyone," he addressed to the gathered members, "this is our new manager." He clamped a firm hand onto Reiya's shoulder. "Takami Reiya...san." The club members bowed towards her.

"Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!" they said. Flustered, Reiya hastily bowed back.

"Yoroshiku— Wait," she jerked back. "I haven't agreed to do this yet."

"Didn't you say yes when Yukimura asked you?"

"Well maybe but—"

"It's nice to meet you manager," said Niou. Reiya gaped in disbelief.

Practice was over. The sun was just barely beginning to set and Reiya sat on the bench, watching as first years bustled about cleaning the courts and picking up balls.

"Reiya." A voice spoke near her ear and she jumped. Her brother raised an eyebrow at her. "Let's go home." Reiya blinked.

"Uh, okay." She stood up and grabbed her bag.

The tennis regulars looked on as the two walked together. "Hey," Marui nudged Niou. "Did you know that they knew each other?" He shook his head in response. "Huh."

Reiya felt like she was forgetting something, when she suddenly remembered and stopped short.

The challenge from that girl—uh, what's-her-face.

"One of your team's fan girls challenged me," she told her brother beside her. He was bemused.

"Oh? In what?"

"...Tennis." He smiled.

"Maybe you could join our practices," he suggested. Reiya shrugged then looked at him weirdly, realizing that they were having a normal, civilized conversation, like the siblings they were. She opened her mouth to ask, then stopped herself.

The two walked the rest of the way home in silence.

~~Extra~~

"Sanada," Yukimura started. They were at a tennis store looking at supplies. Sanada looked up from the grip tape he was eyeing.

"Hm?" he grunted.

"Have you found anyone for the manager?" the other asked lightly. Sanada paused.

"No," he turned to Yukimura with a suspicious glance. "But you sound like you have." The captain chuckled and looked away.

"Maybe," he said. "If she chooses that path... I think it would be for the best." At this his smile gained a tinge of sadness and regret. Sanada frowned, puzzled.

He stared down at the girl in front of him. A wave of anger coursed through his veins, and he clenched his fists, remembering the horror, the fear, the humiliation—

"You want to be our manager?" he blurted out. She blinked her dark eyes in confusion, and his mind flashed back to Yukimura's words from the previous day.

"I think it would be for the best."

He meant...her?

Sanada scowled and then turned away. "Let's go," he signaled to his teammates.

If that was Yukimura's wish...then he would not interfere.


	9. Unusual 'Duties'

It started off as a normal morning. Reiya woke up, dressed, and prepared for her morning jog. Only today... her brother was waiting for her at the doorway, already dressed in his tennis uniform.

"Good morning," he greeted her casually. "Going for a run?" Reiya could only nod dumbly.

"Mind if I join you?" he asked. She nodded again, finding it hard to think of an excuse to refuse. It was early in the morning. And on mornings, her brain does not function well.

He ran beside her as she set off a moderate pace, easily keeping up. He said nothing, and his silence unnerved her. Her mind briefly flashed to the events of the day before, and this time she could not stop herself as she blurted out her question.

"Why?"

Without pausing, he replied, "Hm? Why what?"

"Why are you being...like this?" She gestured helplessly in the air, unable find words to explain. But it seemed that he understood. He merely smiled. He did that a lot.

"Why not?" Reiya gave him a weird look in return.

"Oh," he said, as if suddenly remembering something. "Make sure to come to the tennis courts for morning and afternoon practice."

"Right," she said absentmindedly, her mind still on her brother's strange interactions with her. He raised an eyebrow.

"That's the first time you haven't protested." Reiya looked up.

"Wait, what?"

"Does that mean you've started to accept tennis?"

* * *

Reiya ran a hand through her hair in distress as she slowly moved towards the tennis courts, prolonging her walk.

_What did he mean by that?_

Lost in her thoughts as she often was, she bumped into something, or someone. Reiya quickly began to apologize before she saw the person's face. It was that fangirl from yesterday.

_Uh...what was her name? Um, Kurosaki Moka? Mami? Or was it Miki?_

"Takami Reiya," the girl in question said through a deep scowl. "I hope you haven't forgotten about our match. Just so you know, no one has defeated me, Kurosawa Maki since I became captain!"

_Kurosawa Maki. That's what it was._

Kurosawa Maki walked passed her stiffly with an upturned nose.

Reiya raised an eyebrow then continued on towards her destination. She caught sight of her brother watching over practice in the tennis courts, his arms crossed and his jacket draped over his shoulders.

"Oh, Reiya," he called out, noticing her walking by. She froze. She still wasn't used to that. Him talking to her.

"Y-yeah?" she answered, hating the stutter in her voice.

"You forgot this," he said, gesturing to call her attention to an object. It was leaning against the fence innocently in all its glory. Reiya's eyes grew wide. The 'object' was her tennis bag. Her old, worn tennis bag she had not taken outside for years.

* * *

_"Yukimura," Jackal called out curiously. "Why are you carrying two tennis bags?" The regulars turned their heads towards Yukimura, wondering the same thing. One of the bags was obviously his, but the other was unrecognizable._

_"It's Reiya's," he said matter-of-factly. It took them a second to process his reply._

_"Reiya...you mean Takami-san?" said Yagyuu. The others examined the bag with more interest after learning it was their new mysterious manager's. It was worn, the black fading in some places. The strap was also frayed at the ends. It was clearly a well-used bag of someone who had spent hours on tennis. A tennis ball charm hung from one of the zippers. Yanagi was hurriedly writing everything down in his notebook._

_"Yukimura," he started, snapping it shut. "Why do you have her tennis bag?"_

_"I just found it in the house somewhere," he said vaguely. A few of them looked up._

_"So it's yours not hers?" asked Niou. "Puri~"_

_"No, it's hers," said Yukimura. Niou's eyes glinted, about to press for more information, when Sanada interrupted, a crease in his forehead._

_"Is this part of your plan?" The others began to feel even more confused._

_Yukimura chuckled in response._

* * *

Reiya stared at the tennis bag in shock, her mind not comprehending.

"Why...is this here?"

"I found it in your closet," he replied.

"You found— you went through my closet?"

"It was in the outside part," he assured her.

"Why do I even need my rackets? I've only agreed to be manager right?"

"Didn't you say that someone challenged you in a match? You must be quite rusty from not playing for a long time. When is it by the way?"

"She told me Monday but—"

"I see. Well, joining our practices for a week will have you in good condition by then."

"Joining your practices—" Reiya wasn't sure if she wanted to laugh, cry, or be enraged. "Woah, wait a minute. Who said anything about joining practices? What about your teammates? I'm sure they wouldn't agree."

"It can just be part of your duties as a manager," said her brother with certainty. "Right Yanagi?"

"I suppose," said a voice behind Reiya. Startled, she whirled around to face it.

"How long have you been there?" she asked, quickly masking her surprise.

"Long enough to infer that the two of you live together, and therefore are related in some way."

"Siblings," was Yukimura's easy reply. Reiya whipped her head to look at him, then back at Yanagi. She got the feeling that she was being scrutinized very closely by him, despite his eyes being closed.

"I see," he said, looking slightly surprised by the news. "Interesting."

* * *

Marui looked around, his eyes roaming the tennis courts.

"Hey guys," he said. "Have you seen Yanagi?"

"If it's Yanagi he's over there with Yukimura and Reiya-chan," said Niou, joining him by his side. "I wonder what they're talking about."

They watched as their manager's facial expressions changed from uncertainty, anger, exasperation, and finally defeat. It was rather entertaining to watch as she reluctantly picked up the tennis bag leaning on the fence before turning a half glare/half confused look at Yukimura.

"Hm..." Marui mused. "Yukimura and Reiya do seem rather close, don't they?

He walked her home yesterday, he calls her by her first name, and he somehow has her tennis bag lying around in his house?" he listed.

"Childhood friends turned sweethearts perhaps," suggested Niou mischievously.

"You two!" the voice of Sanada floated behind them. "What are you doing? Tarundoru!"

"Nothing," said Marui innocently. "Just wondering what they're talking about." He gestured toward the three people in question.

"Nothing that will warrant you slacking off," Sanada said dryly. "Now get back to your warm-ups!"

"Yes, yes."

Reiya decided that she would never be able to quite decipher her brother's thoughts, and neither did she want to. When told there was a change of clothes in the bag after protesting about her lack of appropriate attire, she wasn't sure if she should be even more angry at him for further going through her things, or hopelessly confused. She decided on the latter. It took much less effort.

She found a nearby restroom where she dropped the bag on the floor (it had been on worse surfaces before) and opened the zipper. Inside, Reiya found her two rackets and, as her brother had informed her, a set of clothes consisting of a plain t-shirt and loose running shorts. A Rikkaidai jacket had also somehow found its way in there. She stared at it and contemplated her thoughts.

Meanwhile, Yanagi was digging for more information.

"It's rare for you to be so pushy," he remarked.

"This will probably be the only time," sighed Yukimura. "Or last least until Reiya is stubborn again."

"Is that what they call brotherly love?" Yanagi wondered out loud, secretly thinking that while Yukimura wasn't exactly outright stubborn, once he set his mind to do something, nothing would be able to change it. "Are you really her brother? Your last names are different." Yukimura's face darkened.

"Yes." He said nothing more to further explain, and Yanagi also fell silent.

Reiya chose that moment to re-enter the courts, dressed in black shorts and a simple white shirt. After internally struggling, she had decided it was too warm to wear the jacket and had tied it around her waist, resisting the habitual urge to set it on her shoulders.

She came to a stop in front of Yukimura, and Yanagi noted the similarities between the two that he had not seen before. There was a large difference between their expressions (one was smiling and the other was, well, not) however, their facial structures were almost eerily similar. Something about the way she stood and her posture was familiar as well. All she needed, he thought, was a jacket draped over her shoulders, and they would be identical.

"So...now what?" asked Reiya uncertainly.

"Have you stretched properly?" said Yukimura. Reiya nodded. She had done a few warm-ups after she had dressed.

"Now we do our laps," he declared. "Everyone," he addressed the entirety of the team. "50 laps around the courts. Those who drop out before doing 50 will pick up balls for the rest of practice, and those who complete their laps will rally on the courts."

Reiya stood still as the members rushed by.

"Better get going," her brother advised her as he set off too.

"You're kidding me right?" Reiya said to empty space. "I'm pretty sure that most managers don't have duties involving joining practice."


End file.
